Author Archives: robsworkshop

1975 Surfside Trailer.

Dec 4 2022

OH ya I’m gunna do it again.. bought another small fiberglass trailer.. another Surfside.

Ok here’s your typical Tripple E Surfside trailer photo from the big wide web.

Yup that’s nice.. But here’s What I found for sale (and now own).. Followed me home. And got dirty.

Hey wait a minute ! That’s not my usual fixer upper ?

Well that’s cause I paid more for it..But not too too much.. When I was looking there were no collapsing to the ground trailers… Or everything painted green ones out there. All gone ! So I have to settle for “better” stuff. I know…it’s a change I will just have to put up with.. And this brings up the dilemma of ..what to work on and what to leave alone. Sigh.. Oh well we’ll get to that. I’m hoping to swap the boat for the Surfside in the garage , let it thaw out and get down to answering that.

OK how bout a few photos taken by the fella who sold it to me. I haven’t had time to take my own yet !

The Exterior of the trailer is in great condition.. Nothing broken or missing.. No obvious damage. But I’ve only spent about 30 min walking around looking things over. So I’m sure to find stuff that’s not right.

All the lights are there intact, but the wiring for them needs a look. He already had the tow lights installed. So rather than fiddle around it was just plug those in to get the trailer back home. The roof vent ,the fridge and furnace vents are good. All those ports for water and power still work. BTW those are hub caps on the 13 ” wheels. I like them ..but they could use new paint.

What’s the inside like ? Well the best way to describe it is ” 90% there but modified” Newer good cushions ! Faded denim curtains. However no table, no sink, no water system at all! Also missing : the stove, The12 volt wiring and no 12 volt lights ! The furnace is gone too, which I’m happy about that.

What is there ? Well the oldest little fridge I’ve seen yet. It would be a shock if it worked ! The cabinets are still good. I say that loosely because there are some modifications that won’t work for me. But it’s better than not having the cabinets !

Not sure what’s going on here? Some kind of storage. Interesting light fixture ! It’s the only light. And the final photo I’ll show you… The closet ! It’s great and the builder’s tag is still inside.

I’m not going to miss the stuff that isn’t there. someone just saved me the trouble of tossing it . But the stuff that IS there will save me a lot of work. And in some cases ( like the cushions) a lot of money. They cost about $1500. to have made. Once I park it in the garage and let it thaw out.. We will take inventory of things and more details. Plus some videos. More on ..

PAGE 2

Second E Bike has come !

Nov 30 2022

Fabulous Bikes Echo Adrenalized..

Only slight differences.. But every bit as good. Right out of the box.

I took this bike for a ride to make sure all was good. BRRRRR cold !

I think this step through frame is the best bike for old folks like us.. Very user friendly. For those of us who are not in the best of shape… E bikes are what should get you out and getting some exercise. I say some.. because if you want you can let the motor do all the work.. your choice. If you get the chance to try one you will know what I’m saying. For now it’s full on winter here and even if the roads get bare again it’s still cold. So for now we will put the bikes away till spring.

April 2023: The bikes have been stored in the basement since the Echo arrived. I have now cleaned a place for them in the garage so we can start using them again. Only once during the winter did I charge up the batteries.. and they did not need much. We had full charges yesterday when I brought them to the garage. It was a nice warm afternoon so I just had to go for a ride. Just WOW!

E bikes and Trails

Nov 2 2022

Ordered a new E Bike !

We live in a trail rich area here in the Drumheller valley. It’s bike friendly for sure. Many kilometers of paved pathways through town and out to the burbs. And they are adding more due to the deal with CNR for the old rail grade through town. Already a section east from downtown has been paved, with plans to take it further. Hopefully this will include the train bridge over the river just west of town. It has been blocked off since the rails were taken up. I’m talking about this because we really could use more activities to keep us healthy. Accessing these trails are just two blocks down the street from us. That puts us close to a great activity that does not involve driving. We have two peddle bikes already , good ones that haven’t been used in many years. But it’s not as flat out here as you would think, so they may be more work then we want.

This is the answer..

A folding E bike ! Why folding? Our new house lacks the storage we had before the move. And the fold up ones need less space. Plus we won’t need a bike rack to take these along on a trip. These bikes are fully equipped with powerful motors and large batteries with lot’s of range. The photo above is the exact model I have ordered. I will of coarse have better photos when this… the first one arrives.. Yes first one if we like what we see then we will order a second one.. But we are thinking maybe a step through frame. Like the one below !

You can see the difference. On this bike the seat post has the suspension.

While I wait for the bike I’m still researching E bikes. Most of them are out of the USA . The exchange rate is not good and add to that cost of shipping. Even very few of the Canadian offerings are free shipping. So you must compare all costs. You also must compare the components used to build the bike. And not just the motors and batteries but the brakes, gears and the LCD screen for the controller and it’s ability to be configured. They just sent me the manual for the bike.. It blows me away how much I can change the bikes performance. Here’s the controller screen that comes with the bike I ordered.. Color !

There’s a lot more info on these than other bikes have.. You can also see maximum speed and average speed. And like I said it’s customizable . The 5 you see is the highest peddle assist level. This one is feature rich, or loaded as we say. And here’s an interesting fact that I believe true. Even a long time ago when I was selling bikes. Most bikes except for the very expensive custom ones are built in China.. Or at the least the frame is. Even brands you know well go to China and have their bikes built to their specifications. When the bikes get here the company may unpack the bike and add custom things.. or at least go over the bike so they can offer a warranty. But more often the bikes come shipped as you see them. There in the hundreds of offerings you will see the same frame being used. If you are shopping around you will notice that. So I will review the Fabulous bike carefully .

Update: The bike is coming on Monday.. So two weeks delivery time from Montreal.. That seams right..

It’s here ! Safe and not damaged. Time to unpack and still look it over carefully. Well it’s great and came with a few surprises. A bag for the rear rack.. And a really neat tool that fits all the nuts & bolts on the bike.

It’s Panniers ! Wow did not see that coming. The tool is great too. Comes with it’s own little pouch. Neat. And they changed the left hand thumb throttle for a right hand twist throttle. I asked for that. Thanks I like that better. Here it is…

Without the battery,, that’s charging. I love it ! While the battery is charging I tweaked the handle bars and the stuff mounted on them to suit me.. I’m kinda fussy about my brake levers angled down a bit.

Time for a new page. Now that the bike is here. Page 2

14 FT Vanguard Tristar Boat

OCT 15 2022

Here we go.. again !

Great project for the cold months.. So I thought..

I couldn’t resist the price.. $550. Basically I bought a trailer and it came with a free boat and motor. And if you follow my blog and the posts you know I’ve seen and had a lot of free or cheap boats. And in most cases there isn’t much left that’s any good. Plus if your lucky and a motor comes with it ..it’s old and hasn’t run for a very long time. The motor we have here is not new.. It’s a bit more than 30 years young. However I’m optimistic .. And even though I don’t know much about it and neither did the guy selling it. It should run. There’s a story for him.. But that’s not mine to tell. Let’s just say he’s only had the boat for a few weeks …and that’s cause he wanted the trailer. Changed his mind and put it up for sale just to get the money back.

As for the boat… way to good to throw away. It must have been stored with a cover. Anytime you get an old fiberglass anything ..it’s covered with mold spots and needs a bath.. Not this boat.. Oh sure it’s sun faded.. but it’s 40+ years old.. Original gel coat finish.. a few chips ..but should polish up nicely.

The carpet has seen better days, there’s a bit of green. However you can walk around without falling through the floor.. I like the red and gray theme.. But I don’t like the old cassette deck.. I’m doubting it still works. And I don’t care cause I don’t want a stereo.. would rather have a fish finder. Which brings me to the general wiring in the boat … Big thumbs down.. Typical rat’s nest of patched and taped up wires. That will need sorting out. I will make a video once the boat is in the shop.

Future ME :

Let’s put the brakes on this post.. and the other pages. This was a bad idea. too many things wrong with the boat and some I don’t have the skill to fix ( like the motor) . So like many other things I sold it as is and moved on..

2013 Polaris Sportsman 500HO Part 2

Oct 7 2022

OK I’m ready ! The best place to start is with some cleaning. So do I remove the plastics ? Or not worry about what’s under them. It’s not like I’m pressed for time.. However the time is coming soon where I will have to stop using the out side water..

I started with this part of the quad. Pretty much all of the electrical is here. And it was very dirty, so gave it a bath with the cyclone detail gun and a brush. That’s a genital way to clean. Now I can read the fuse bock words!

I removed the rear rack to better clean the fenders and fix the crack from the underside. I’ll take this kind of stuff outside for a date with the pressure washer. Carefully. With the sticher I fixed the crack inside the trunk. There much better. Bath Time ! I only removed the rear rack and the winch cover. And I did use the outside water and my diluted purple power cleaner. Then I put the stitches on the under side of the crack on the rear rack. That takes care of all the plastic repair for now.

Wow it’s looking great..

I just erased 9 years from this one.. I got a great deal. This is the way the quad will sit till all the bits and pieces come next week. How ever the winch rope came the next day.

Yup bright red.. easy to see. I had a new hook and a Warn rubber stop too. This rope is supposed to be good for 8000 lbs. The Polaris winch is a 2500 lb one and the ATV weighs less than 700 lbs. And I have used winches in the past… get high centered on a log in the snow …and you will be thankful you have one. So That’s why I’m fixing this one.

I had to remove the winch from the ATV. Put it in the vice and spray the old cable… Tug Tug to get it free. It was jammed in the spool… someone ran it in too far. any way I win.. Above is the new synthetic line , hook and rubber stop. What’s the checkerboard metal under the atv you say ?

It’s on the lift table ! I can roll around on my stool to do the work.. Nice…So I’ve been removing each wheel so I can better check the brake pads and the condition of the bearings and bushings.

New video… While we wait for parts.

Parts are here… now the winch works perfectly. I was cleaning the air filter box and discovered these cracks on the under side of the boot that goes to the carburetor.

no way can I fix this …and I’m not going to duct tape it either. New one ordered.

So it’s now spring 2023. The snow is all gone and the the weather is getting warm. I wish I had an indoor place for the Polaris… but I don’t. So it has been siting all winter since mid October with a cover.

And .. well that’s been just fine. A week ago on a very warm day I took the cover off. Just for a lark I gave it a little choke and it started right up. ! Wow ! Running just fine.. Needs an oil change ..so that’s next.

Update : So the poor quad has continued to sit there under the cover. No place to go… no place to ride.. I fired it up once to move the utility trailer ( seen behind the quad) and that’s it.. It’s August now and I’ve decided to list it for sale.. The plan is to use the money for something I will use. Thinking of a jeep TJ to do some exploring here in Alberta. We’ll see what happens.. SOLD

2013 Polaris Sportsman 500HO Part 1

Oct 6 2022

Well I still want to have a quad… even though I may not get to ride it as much as I would like. And that means a new one would be a waste of money.. The older ones are a lot of work. My favorite quad of all time was the 2014 Sportsman 400 that I did buy new in 2014. Went everywhere for many years with that machine. Reliable , fun and I felt safe. So I was aiming for that vintage with low mileage, and not beat up. FOUND IT… here’s a web photo of a 2013 Sportsman 500.. not mine !

2013 Polaris Sportsman 500 H.O.; Studio Shot; 3/4 Front; Red; ATV;

But Soooo close. Yes

Almost the same.. really the only difference is fancy wheels and new tires.. and a winch. Even thought it looks good in the photo..nothing nine years old is ever perfect. There are a few cracks and scuffs.. It’s dirty under the plastics. Nine years of dust ! But not caked with mud.

But I’m happy with the condition.. Don’t expect much.. fortunately it’s good overall. Everything works as it should, runs and drives great.

Look at that 1511 miles. 1200 hrs. So with out further adue.. Here’s the video I made

Okay .. with the introductions out of the way.. Let’s talk about what I need to do .. work stuff.. pimping stuff. Cause it needs to have my stamp. Without taking too much apart I had a good look.. Found things that I missed.. and a few things knew about.. like..

The missing winch control. Strange… but a new one is on the way.

The scuffed up front rack. Hey it happens.. I sanded it and treated the wound.. All better.

Crack in the rear rack.. I’ll fix this . no worries.

Missing latch for the rear tool compartment. A new one is on the way. Now for what I missed !

A crack inside the front trunk, left side. Oh yes I did open the trunk but did not notice this.. I can fix it . This could be caused by too much weight on the left side of the front rack. It’s really not much stuff to deal with.. But lets add to that a service (new oil and filters). Plus I want to clean the electrical contacts and other bits. I’m going to start a new post for the cleaning and repairs.

2013 Polaris 500 Part 2

The new garage /shop

Sept 24 2022

This post is about setting up the shop..

OK… The time has come to do some work . It’s a mess. I can’t find most of my tools. In my other post the garage was dry walled and painted. Now the heater is installed so we are good to go.

The heater is nicely tucked up in the corner. So now I know where I can install shelves and hang stuff. It’s time to organize and unpack. One of the things to do was install a shelve between the two upper cupboards.

Yes very good storage for stuff I don’t need every day. But it can’t be heavy because I need to lift it up there. Oh yes I’ve been busy..

I’ve built a new work bench. and look it’s messy already. The drill press and the vice (under blue towel) are mounted. And it’s painted too !

And more shelves and… I bought a 42 inch wide steel cabinet for my paints and whatever else I decide to put in there. All of this should take the pressure off the big shelves.

Important News:

I have sold the Kubota BX tractor. It will be gone from the garage later today and that will give me tons more room.

Bye Bye to a good friend. But there is no more work for you.. I have a paved driveway and a new electric snow blower. It’s all part of the plan to lighten the load. And now … Say good bye to the two ATV’s and the Honda scooter.. wow got my space back ! However took the funds and bought and good ATV ..Newer… almost no work needed. 2013 Polaris.

I’m using the lift table again..

A New house Page 3

Sept 1 2022

Time to do some yard cleanup and make some changes.

During the move I had taken down the fence between the garage and the house. This made it easier to get stuff into the back of the house and put the outdoor stuff close to where it will stay. With intentions of turning the space between the garage and house into a parking area. Parking on the street for three vehicles is all we have right now so this will give us more parking. Always better to have the vehicles off the road.

This area ! It’s 16 ft wide .. and I’m moving the fence back 8 ft into the yard. This is what I’m currently working on.. One of the first jobs that we got done is the garden shed.

Tucked it nicely into the corner. This strip will be gravel and a place to park the utility trailer. The problem here was the ground level. It was up to and covering the vinyl siding. That’s just inviting problems for the garage . Notice the gas line on the far right. With the test gauge still there… it’s for the garage heater soon to be done. But wait ! Before the gas line could be done under the deck needed to be cleaned up. The gas meter is there.

Cleaning up under the deck… What a mess ! Make way for the gas line to the garage . You can see the trench in the above photo. It’s all done now and a load of gravel spread. All done by hand.. no room for the tractor.

Great place to NEATLY store stuff like the kayaks. This fence between the house and the neighbors needed to be replaced . One post and most of the wood pickets were rotten. Now that’s done back to the the BIG job… And this is how far I’ve got… to the end of August. I have the new fence posts in the ground and the forms around them for a 16 inch wall. By digging down I was able to level the parking pad 16 ft out towards the street. That’s a big level parking pad.

Here’s the concrete work all done. A nice large step at the gate. Plus a concrete apron for the double gate opening to the parking pad beside the garage.

Here’s a different view of the parking pad.. And shows better how I came 8 ft into the yard. I have the metal for the fence now and I replaced the fence section on the north side of the deck.

Just over 5 ft high and never needs painting. Just need a bit more gravel inside the fence and we are done. Back to the parking pad…

I’m working on getting the slope to the sidewalk just right. The whole thing is 20 ft wide .. so it’s a double wide parking area. With a path from the stairs. I believe that pile is the last of the dirt and sod getting hauled away. And after some tweaking I got the slope good.

Time for a truck load of the road mix.. And to spread it evenly..

Poof done ! Now we are looking at this and thinking the sand and gravel is kinda .. dirty. So we called the pavers. And that means My part is done. So I started on the fence.

And here we have most of it done …just the double gate needs to be built, But I’ll wait till the pavement is done. They came the next day.. and in 5 hrs we had a very nice new driveway.

The crew had only a little prep work to do cause I had done most of it. The transition and slope is prefect. We’ll give it a few days to set up before parking on it. Meanwhile I have two more gates to build.

And there we have it. The best gates I’ve made yet. Six feet high and very little gaps. They open out so I can better access the back yard. And with that we are done .. The cats can use the yard and be safe. Next is cleaning up and organizing the garage. Which has it’s own post… Work on the garage

The Garage

A new house Page 2

July 19 2022

Week three … the work continues :

But now I have help! Brother in law is here from Winnipeg to give a hand. I’m now done most of the painting. Now we have some work to do that having help with it is great. Starting with the half wall in the kitchen.

This change needs to be done before the painter comes next week to paint the living room and kitchen. Adding 1 ft to the half wall is needed to have power outlets and back splash for the new lower cabinets that are happening here. So this was #1 on the list.

Week 4.. home stretch.. All the painting is done except for the computer room.

The plumbers have been and that work is done. New water conditioner, new sink and a new outside faucet. The yard shed is up and the garage is done …

There’s a lot more in there now.. So Brother in law is heading home and I can handle the last of the yard stuff. Movers are coming in six days.

Update : Mid August… Been so busy ..no time for updates. We are moved in and mostly set up. The garage is full.. as expected. But it all fits.

The poor garage had to swallow up the contents of the sea can, barn and the garage from Pinter dr… plus the two atvs and the Kubota BX.. it’s all in there now. In the house the furniture is all in place in the different rooms.

This is the set up for the family room. Still a bit of work to do. And the office has been wired and painted . New shelves and the fiber now comes in here.

Still needs the drop ceiling done. And it’s getting a new window. A work in progress. but not the living room all done except a few pictures.

Notice the one foot rise in the wall. Hard to tell it wasn’t always like that. Yes you are seeing a lot of the same color paint.. We bought too much so I was using it in the office too. And that turned out great. Our computer desk that we have had for ever fits. Nice to have high speed internet and TV again.

A new house …Moving Up

July 2 2022

We are just a little crazy. !

Since we are so good at moving …let’s try it one more time. One LAST time. However this is a good move… let me explain. This spring we listed the house for sale.. So with all the reno’s we did and the market improving …why not see what happens. Well nothing happened for two months ! Then on the last day of the listing along comes an offer and it’s a good offer… Darn we were all set to stay. During that two months we were searching all the possible homes available. Some sold before we could make an offer. And lot’s of them were a not for us.. (rightfully fussy). But now we have a sale on ours.. The pressure is on. So then we started looking at homes that didn’t tick all the boxes but most. And everything needed to be considered. And this one was the best deal !

Say Hello to 35 Park Place ..

You know the saying: Location Location.. This is it for Drumheller. Even last year when we were looking and not really familiar with the neighborhoods This was the part of town that we were drawn to. It’s called Midland and it’s on the north west side of town. On the road to the Museum. And that road can be busy during summer.. But not by trucks just the tourists. This house is away from that road and on a dead end drive. Yup I’m holding on to the quiet that I like. Also it’s on the edge of the Midland Provincial Park, which is the home of the Royal Tyrell Museum. AND we will now benefit from full city services, like paved roads and Fiber internet and tv.. Yes this is a smaller lot. Just a regular size, but it’s all done for us and with a fully fenced back yard.

Two decks …one is all screened in…

We like ! But let’s talk about what’s not seen in these photos.. just a peek on the right side of the house photo. This !

Wow ! 26 x 24 insulated ( soon to be finished and heated ) GARAGE. Oh baby … I’ll make good use of this. Would be better if it was attached to the house…but we couldn’t have everything. The house has some interesting things.. Like the sunken living room.

Different yes.. Very much the same size as our current home. Three bedrooms , two bathrooms. The basement has a big utility room, a family room and a nice room for computers and hobbies. All needing no renovations just a little paint and we want to remove the only carpet in the house in the family room. We also want to eventually change out the wood fireplace for a gas one. SO what makes this move worth it. I’ll share the list;

# 1 Less property to look after.. I’m selling the riding mover for a electric one.

# 2 A big heated garage for me..

# 3 House has a newer high efficient furnace AND central AC.

# 4 The wiring and plumbing is great no changes needed

# 5 Telus Pure Fiber is in the house.

# 6 The Kitchen is good and we are only adding one extra cabinet plus some new appliances.

#7 The three bedrooms are bigger and we can use all three.

#8 Storage ! this house has way more.. There is a 4 ft high crawl space under the living room.. tons of room .

That’s enough reasons for us.. We are looking forward to this move.. One other thing that makes this good for us is the deal we made to purchase the house. The renter would be moving out at the end of June.. Our date for the actual purchase is Aug 8 th. I’m writing this at the first part of July.. In a few days we have the keys to the house and as part of the agreement will have from now ( one month ahead) to clean , paint, finish the garage, change the floor in the family room. We are having a water conditioner installed. Set up the new garden shed. AND move some of our things in as there is room.. All before the movers do the furniture on Aug 6 th. That’s a huge advantage for us.. All this will mean we are settled in quickly. Soon we will be very busy.. But I’ll try to take the time to continue this post..

Ok ..,.It’s the 8th of July and we are in the house it’s ours to do the fixing up needed. We have a month before moving day. So every morning we head to 35 park pl to do our list of things. And it’s a long list. Today the crew came and started dry walling the garage. The plumber came to access what needs to be done. And our cabinet guy came to measure for the new cabinet for the kitchen.

This wall which is currently doing nothing to help the kitchen will be put to work. Six feet of lower cabinets will be here. Providing lots of additional storage and counter top space. I will be raising the wall a foot so there can be power outlets and stuff won’t fall off the back of the counter.

And of coarse finishing the garage speaks for it’s self.. Wait till you see it done. Then I can start moving my shop stuff in.

This is one of the spare rooms upstairs. We are re painting all the upstairs except the two bathrooms. This room will be two tone gray .. the blue is too much. The other spare room will be a neutral taupe paint. Interesting checker plate wall paper. The family room in the basement is getting some love too.. We don’t want carpet so we removed it and put it in the crawl space. New laminate flooring for that room and some paint. We are now a week into the work and there is lots of progress. The room pictured above is now finished.

Looks great.. As well I finished the second spare bedroom which had green painted walls. It looked like this..

But no more..

The color is called “latte” don’t know who’s latte.. but it’s very neutral. The family room got a coat of paint today as well. But something went wrong with the paint and it changed color as I progressed. I’ll repaint and then take a photo.

But let’s start a new page for this story..